Mark D. Davis, Introduction

[mdd88jd]

Hey Folks,

I wanted to post an introduction. My name is Mark D. Davis and I am running for re-election to the Walton County School Board in District 4. I have had the honor and pleasure of serving on the School Board since 1995 when Governor Chiles appointed me to serve the remainder of Ron Burgess' term who resigned to accept employment with the district. I was re-elected in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

You might be interested in my background. I am actually a Walton County native, though my family moved out of the county when I was very small and then returned when I was in the 5th grade. I graduated from Walton High School in 1980, OWCC in 1982 and from The Florida State University with degree in English in 1984. I went on to Law School at Florida State where I graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1988.

My work background is varied. While living in Tallahassee during the time I was in school, I worked in the Florida Legislature in the Senate Rules Committee, the House Claims Committee (a subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee) and with the Florida Public Counsel. The Florida Public Counsel is the consumer advocate/law firm for consumers and represents consumers before the Florida Public Service Commission. As a intern/staff person for the legislature, I particpated in bill drafting, bill history work and legislative scheduling. I truly enjoyed that experience. Also, while in Tallahassee, I worked for two law firms as a law clerk.

Upon my return to DeFuniak Springs in 1988, I began practicing law with Allan Ramey and we formed the firm of "Ramey & Davis." In 1995, I went to work for the North American Family Institute where I was the Program Director. We started the Juvenile Justice facility in DeFuniak Springs. That experience was educational to say the least. After leaving NAFI, I formed my own firm, now known as "Andrews & Davis," and have been practicing law in DeFuniak Springs since 1995. I am a BV rated attorney with Martindale-Hubbell, have served on the First Circuit Grievance Committee, am currently serving on the Florida Bar Bench Bar Professionalism Committee and have twice been nominated for a Circuit Judge position (though I was not appointed).

I have served on many boards including the Okaloosa Walton Bar Association Board, the COPE Center, Inc. Board, the Chautauqua Theatre Restoration Board. I am a current member of the Kiwanis Club of DeFuniak Springs and the Walton County Chamber of Commerce. Finally, I am an elder in the First Presbyterian Church, DFS, where I also sing in the choir. I am married and after a blissful 21 year marriage to my wife Susan, we were blessed with our first child, Jackson Douglass Davis, born January 25, 2007.

I have a very simple philosophy regarding school board issues. Simply put, our schools should be the best. Not the best we can afford, not the best in the area, but the best, period. We are not there yet, but, we have made great strides the last 13 years.

Let's start with facilities. When I joined the School Board back in 1995, our facilities were deplorable. In fact, they were so bad, I actually, in a moment of anger, wrote the Department of Education to complain about their state. Basically, I was told it was a local concern, so, when Ron Burgess' position came open I applied and immediately started to work on facilities.

Since I have joined the Board, we have built a new elementary school in south Walton, Butler; a new High School in south Walton, South Walton High School; a new middle school in south Walton, Emerald Coast High School (which should get a new building and site in the next three years); we have re-modeled and added onto Bay Elementary; we have built a new High School in Freeport; a new 7th Grade Building at Walton Middle; a new wing at the Walton Career Development Center; a new high school building, gymnasium, and auditorium at Paxton School. We are currently building a new high school building in DeFuniak Springs and a new elementary building at Mossy Head. We have remodeled other buildings and our facilities are the envy of the state. Our facilities maintenance staff is better and our schools, even the older builders, are cleaner.

As I said earlier, we are building a new middle school building in south Walton and I am real excited about that. We need to expand South Walton High School and make some further improvements in the stadium and fields around the school. I feel confident we can do so in the very near future. The new middle school building will alleviate much of the crowding problems we are having at Butler now.

Second, I wanted to focus on academics. Though I come from an athletic background, my father, brother and sister, were all high school coaches, I wanted to push for "rigor and relevance" in every classroom.

I am proud of the academic accomplishments of our students. One should never be satisfied by the academic performance of the students, but, we have made great strides in that area in the past 13 years. Although, I do not believe the FCAT is a true indicator of academic success, our scores on the FCAT have trended upward in every category the past 10 years. You probably don't want to get me started on the shortcomings of the FCAT and the school grading system. But, by that standard our schools have done well. As you probably know, we have been designated an A+ district for three years, were named in the top 11 districts based on academic and other performance standards and our current (2007 - 2008) FCAT scores, at least the ones we have received so far, are excellent and again continue the trend upward. Our entire district also received accredidation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, after a lengthy and rigorous examination.

However, the FCAT is only one measure and we can do better in areas the FCAT does not measure. For intance, our drop out rate is way too high. Of course, one student is too many, but, especially in the north end of the county, the drop out rate is too high. This is an area I really want to address in the next few years and I have some specific ideas on how to address.

Our other principle needs in the academic area are: (1) expanding our AP offerings in high school; (2) offer enough advanced classes (not necessarily advanced placement classes) so a high school students does not have to leave the high school campus to take academically challenging material, i.e., dual enrollment; and (3) continue to increase teacher pay and other benefits so we can continue to attract better teachers and staff for our students.

Third and last, I want our extra-curricular activities to be the best. Our athletic departments must be staffed with well-trained and caring coaches, they must be fully funded so the equipment they purchase is top notch, and they must have the best facilities for training and for competition. Our music, art, drama and club activities must be given the same consideration and not sacrificed at the alter of FCAT or budget constraints.

I feel like I have been a good steward of the taxpayers' dollar. I have come to believe, however, that you must invest in education to get a good return and you must demand accountability from the staff, teachers' and students for that investment.

I don't mind answering questions with one caveat. Because of privacy laws (FERPA), I cannot discuss student discipline or staff discipline.

Thank you for taking the time read my introduction. Mark.

[Alicia Leonard]

Thanks for posting Mark and

[mdd88jd]

Aleonard: Thanks for the Welcome......

[Bob Hudson]

Hi Mark

I am glad to see you post on Sowal.

Bob

[mdd88jd]

Thanks Bob: I enjoyed your post. Good Luck....

[ShallowsNole]

Mark!!!

P.S. Go Noles

[Jdarg]

Mark!

In our short time here, Mark Davis has shown nothing but intelligence, common sense, and class.

[mdd88jd]

Wow!. Thanks JDARG. I am sure there are some folks who would disagree, but, again thanks!.

[Jdarg]

Wow!. Thanks JDARG. I am sure there are some folks who would disagree, but, again thanks!.

I have yet to meet anyone that has anything but great things to say about you. I just wish picking candidates for the other local races could be this easy!

[mdd88jd]

Thanks again. Really, it means a lot to me. Hope to see you out during the campaign. Mark.

[ShallowsFuzz]

Mark. Good Luck.

[ShallowsFuzz]

I have yet to meet anyone that has anything but great things to say about you. I just wish picking candidates for the other local races could be this easy!

I've known Mark for many years and he is a great guy. I can think of nothing bad to say about him.

[rapunzel]

I have attended one school board meeting, but it was probably the most contentious meeting in years. There were so many things I saw that night that shocked and appalled me. Mark Davis stood out as the voice of reason, and handled the situation quite diplomatically.

I was not happy with the outcome that night (saying Blithe Spirit couldn't be performed because they were tweaking the script), and was very unimpressed with the board as a whole. Mark Davis was the exception, and we are lucky to have him.

[mdd88jd]

Dear Rapunzel: Thanks for the kind words. That was a difficult meeting on so many levels. Again thanks for the kind words. Mark.

[ElitoDJ]

Glad to see you aren't giving up. You can count on our support.

[mdd88jd]

Thanks for the support!

Mark.

[ElitoDJ]

I know you are aware that many educators have been moved/tranferred without wanting to be. Is there anything you can do about developing a policy that employees be allowed to work as close to there residence as possible? (unless they want to travel) With gas prices as they are, it seems very unfair for people to be forced to travel, especially if they are not compensated.

[wrobert]

I know you are aware that many educators have been moved/tranferred without wanting to be. Is there anything you can do about developing a policy that employees be allowed to work as close to there residence as possible? (unless they want to travel) With gas prices as they are, it seems very unfair for people to be forced to travel, especially if they are not compensated.

Are they being transferred or are they being let go by one school and hired by another?

[ElitoDJ]

transferred

[wrobert]

transferred

Thanks. I know quite a few people within the system and had not heard of any involuntary transfers.

[ElitoDJ]

They tell you that you are being moved. Then you can either take the transfer (voluntarily) or quit. There has been a great deal of it in the papers concerning principals but it has happened to many employees. Most people do not talk about it because it looks like they did something wrong. In most cases, it is because someone wants their job that has a foot in the door politically. It may not happen as much in the soiuthern part of the district as it does iin the northern end. Even so, it is hard to get anyone to help, so most people just keep a low profile and hope for a move closer to home in the future.

[wrobert]

They tell you that you are being moved. Then you can either take the transfer (voluntarily) or quit. There has been a great deal of it in the papers concerning principals but it has happened to many employees. Most people do not talk about it because it looks like they did something wrong. In most cases, it is because someone wants their job that has a foot in the door politically. It may not happen as much in the soiuthern part of the district as it does iin the northern end. Even so, it is hard to get anyone to help, so most people just keep a low profile and hope for a move closer to home in the future.

Well principals are hired on annual contracts. I understand that to mean that they have to be hired back each year. I know more people that work in the north end than the southern end. Realizing that there are always two sides to just about anything, I have heard of teachers not be rehired. But have not heard of that being done to make room for a politically connected meeting. We have few teachers show up at the secret meetings, so not many chances to help them I guess.

[ElitoDJ]

Secret meetings?

[wrobert]

Secret meetings?

Forget I said anything. Those are suppose to be a secret. We need to start another thread anyway.

[ElitoDJ]

Let's do. there are people that need someone to talk to. There is so much going on that even the board is probably not aware of the circumstances.

[Smiling JOe]

Mark, sounds like you have a good history of being on the School Board. My question is, why do you want to be on the School Board?

[ElitoDJ]

Will you be addressing the mold and moisture issues in the old buildings?

[FLSentinel]

Hey Mark, Glad to see you are going to run again. You have my support and vote. To everyone that does not know Mark or have never met him, you will not find a better person. And- no I don't work for him, I haven't spoken to him in about two years. Good luck Mark, you are an asset to Walton County.

[mdd88jd]

Sorry for the delay in replying to the recent posts, but, I have been out of town at my niece's graduation in Saline, Michigan. By the way, got to visit a wonderful high school building there and brought back some ideas. To address some of the questions posted on the board....

Why

[mdd88jd]

Sorry, hit the wrong button

Why I want to continue to be a member of the School Board. First and foremost, I have a passion for public education. It is my firm belief that universal, free (no tuition to the students), quality, public education is the absolute bedrock of this republic. In its best form, public education produces students ready to become productive citizens with the skills necessary to participate in governing process and the economic vitality of the nation, state and county. I want to continue my "full throated" advocacy of public education.

Second, I love this county and this school district. Frankly, any success I have had in this world started with my wonderful family but was pushed foward by the many outstanding and caring teachers, coaches and administrators that guided me along. I owe this school district and I hope my service on the board is, in some ways, paying back that debt.

Third, I believe, with the right leadership, we can create a world class school system in this county. We are not there yet obviously. But, we are moving in the right direction in so many fronts. We have to remember to focus on education and the other issues, though important, can't dominate our thoughts and discussions.

Fourth, and although there are other reasons, I believe I bring to the board a voice of reason. I am not always right. But on every issue before the board I try to vote and move the board in a direction that focuses on the whole child; the child's academics, their extracurricular activities and their overall character.

Mold and outdated buildingsThe first reason I got invovled in local politics and the school board was because of the condition of the facilities when I moved back to Walton County. My brother was coaching at Paxton School and I went into his locker room and the floor was about a half inch deep in water. I found that locker room was emblematic of the problems with facilities throughout the county. Since I have been on the board I have vigorously fought for new and re-modeled facilities. We still have some bad spots. The 6th Grade Building at Walton Middle School is very old and we need desparately to replace it. There are other pockets of building problems, but, I believe they are the exception now and not the rule. If there is a specific building you think needs attention, let me know.

Involuntary Transfers Sadly, there is not a whole lot the school board can do in the personnel area. Florida law, especially after the Bay County case of McAlister v. Bollinger, which made it clear that the Superintendent is solely resposible for transferring, hiring and firing all administrators and principals. The school board can only reject a recommendatin of the superintendent for a very few, narrow reasons that rarely exist.

A teacher, who's working conditions are determined by the contract the district has with the union, can be forced transferred under some fairly limited conditions. Would we know as board members if someone was forced to transfer outside those conditions? Only if the person or someone else complained to us. On occasion, when I see a transfer in the personnel recommendations to the board, I will ask if the transfer is voluntary or not just to see. But, really, we would need the teacher to follow the grievance procedures in the contract for the Board to ever get to the question.

Principals and Assistant Principals do work under a one year contract. I have been advocating to change that. Many teachers tell me that they will not apply for administrator positions because of that one year contract. We do have a problem in this county right now. We do not have enough qualified, trained people to move into those principal and asst. principal jobs. I have proposed a " lead principal" position to seek out folks who might be interested and getting them the training they need to fix this problem. No luck yet, but, we do need to address the lack of a large pool of potential applicants for those jobs.

Superintendent's Job I did think about for about three days this year. However, I have a pretty good day job and would not want to abandon the law practice and clients that I have built the last 20 years. But, the compliments are kind.

By the way, I am not naive. I suspect that there have been Board members in the past that have attempted to use their position to have friends, family, etc., hired in specific jobs. I have been accused of the same thing. But, with a just a few exceptions, I have never spoken to a principal or superintendent about hiring anyone and only did so then when I was specifically asked my opinion. It is just not a good practice for school board members to be in any way involved in the hiring and firing practice. Now, if we think the Superintendent has gone "nuts" over hiring, there are ways to rein him/her in such as abolishing the position or not budgeting the position.

TO all the guys who have posted such kind words for me, thank you. It is humbling and I deeply appreciate your support.

Mark

[Jdarg]

Thank you Mark! Looking forward to your re-election and continuing to be the voice of reason and intelligence on the board. The fact that you are running again and sticking with it makes me confident that our school system is headed in the right direction.

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

Mark,
Great interview last Sunday! I listened to it from Hotlanta.
Best of Luck!! And thanks for being an asset to Walton County.

[mdd88jd]

Thanks for listening. By the way, Matthew Christ is an exceptional person. He was well prepared, asked intelligent questions, understood the issues and frankly, asked better questions than many of the "professional journalists" that I sometime face. I hope he is representative of the student body at SWHS. If he is, then this school district is truly doing something right.....

should remember to proof read.....

[Alicia Leonard]

Thanks for listening. By the way, Matthew Christ is an exceptional person. He was well prepared, asked intelligent questions, understood the issues and frankly, asked better questions than many of the "professional journalists" that I sometime face. I hope he is representative of the student body at SWHS. If he is, then this school district is truly doing something right.....

should remember to proof read.....

Remind me not to go easy on you next time I call ya

[mdd88jd]

Your questions are always intelligent....

[mdd88jd]

My answers on the other hand.....

[Alicia Leonard]

Your questions are always intelligent....

I was just picking on ya, but thanks for having such a great sense of humor, Mark.

And for the record, you are always accessible and well informed. You're an asset to our community and you can take a joke. Always a plus in my book

[Jdarg]

Uh Mark, can we clone you? We need an awesome District 1 commissioner and sheriff.

Seriously, why can't we find more candidates in Walton County that are "quality" like Mark Davis?

[wrobert]

Uh Mark, can we clone you? We need an awesome District 1 commissioner and sheriff.

Seriously, why can't we find more candidates in Walton County that are "quality" like Mark Davis?

This is getting way to syrupy for me. I think I am just jealous.

[Jdarg]

This is getting way to syrupy for me. I think I am just jealous.

I said nice things about you this morning. Maybe I should refer to you as my Republican BFF?

[mdd88jd]

Thanks guys. Hey, I like syrup!But, JDARG does raise an interesting question. Why aren't more people interested in public service? My time on the school board has been very enjoyable. There have been difficult days and some tough decisions to make, but, generally the experience has been fulfilling. I think some people shy away from the "political" part and that can get frustrating, but, overall, even campaigns are interesting and you meet a lot of good people. There is the time factor. I spend a lot of time on school board and "political" matters, but, again, it is worth the time. The time factor is more pressing on me now than ever before because of the birth of my son. But, again, I believe the time is well spent. So, I guess what I am saying is more people should be invloved in the process as candidates and I can recommend it.

M

[sidandpattib]

It was my privilege to call upon Mark Davis to do presentations about the school board for the Education segment of Leadership Walton for a number of years. He was hands down the most articulate and well informed representative of the board. We are very lucky to have him still interested in serving our childrens' best interests. You've got my vote, Mark & I'll do all I can to spread the good word about your calm professionalism.

[timyandell]

Well, speaking from personal experience, the political end can be intimidating but I don't think it occurs to many people to actually run. I had never really entertained the idea until someone approached me about running. The more I considered it, the more I liked the idea. I have plenty of time to devote and I have 3 very personal investments in the school system...my kids and wife. It has been a very positive experience so far...I have learned a lot and met many interesting people.

Thanks guys. Hey, I like syrup!But, JDARG does raise an interesting question. Why aren't more people interested in public service? My time on the school board has been very enjoyable. There have been difficult days and some tough decisions to make, but, generally the experience has been fulfilling. I think some people shy away from the "political" part and that can get frustrating, but, overall, even campaigns are interesting and you meet a lot of good people. There is the time factor. I spend a lot of time on school board and "political" matters, but, again, it is worth the time. The time factor is more pressing on me now than ever before because of the birth of my son. But, again, I believe the time is well spent. So, I guess what I am saying is more people should be invloved in the process as candidates and I can recommend it.

M

[mdd88jd]

That's good to hear. The process itself is not so bad once you get going. Good luck out there!

[mdd88jd]

Hey, I was thinking I would ride in the July 4 Parade on 30-A on Friday. But, I wondered if there was an entry fee or if there would be any voters watching or would it just be tourists. Any thoughts? MDD

[trish hutchison]

You can contact the Seaside Merchants Association at 231-5424. You'll probably have to leave a message, but they are very nice and helpful. There is no charge for politicians. You'll need to arrive @7 in front of Seagrove Beach Plaza and can toss candy.

Good Luck

[SGB]

Hey, I was thinking I would ride in the July 4 Parade on 30-A on Friday. But, I wondered if there was an entry fee or if there would be any voters watching or would it just be tourists. Any thoughts? MDD

Many of the locals with kids will be at one of the parades.

[mdd88jd]

SGB: You were so right. I participated in the parade and was pleasantly suprised to see so many locals. The parade was a blast. Thanks again for the encouragement.

[Teresa]

Mark. glad to see you on the forum!

[mdd88jd]

Thanks, look foward to being there.....